Microsoft plans concerning next Windows OS (based on publications and talks with 3 people I know inside Microsoft):

OS as service with monthly payments (will be activated with first update!)

Some of OS basic features will require additional monthly fee (video player that allows to play video not from large paid providers ala Netflix, for example)

Experience similar to Chrome OS and iOS for iPad (closer to new MacOS that will be based on iOS)

Microsoft spells it at meetings - "OS for consumers, not creators!", OS will be extremely simplified.

Integration of largest news services and ads with push messaging and login screen, paid option to disable it.

Execution of Win32/64 software only in isolated containers, focus on gaming apps

Make it maximally hard to use non gaming applications not from Microsoft Store, you will see 10 second delay and big warning window each time

Plan to add most present system and similar utilities into Windows Defender list, so it could remove them automatically (reason will be "bad user experience, dangerous behavior, Win32.Tool"). Same as Microsoft now doing with KMS activators and hacking tools.

Windows Store as one and only source for applications for many Windows editions

Price of Windows that will allow another sources of apps will cost around 10x more to all OEMs

Further price hike for higher end editions/feature packs but introduction of special private price agreements, so big corporations will even save

Microsoft will participate in special coordinated plan with Google, where non store apps will be called "dangerous" and placed very far in search results by Google after OS release

My sources told that we will see unprecedented rollout campaign and attack on 3rd party apps made by medium and small companies, each big corporation making software will take part in it. For example, BM and Adobe will have right to prevent signing of any video editing application for new OS. It will be called "industry self regulation and preventing dangerous and extremist activity" program.

Microsoft will have special tools and web page to report applications (ala Google now) to call off their signing, such app will stop working instantly on all connected computers (won't work in corporate editions).

Microsoft will widen present secret collaboration and piracy prevention plan. Windows 10 for now collect and send information (including all location info and sometimes screenshots) to select Microsoft partners if you install any illegal license or such. New OS will make such plan widely open and corporations will get lot of options if they detect suspicious behavior. Including recording realtime screen and camera video feeds (on all consumer editions). Partners will have tools to remotely wipe out all illegal and extremist software (via Defender to make it look nicer) and also delete and transfer any data that had been accessed or made using it.

Consumer Windows 10 support will end abruptly and you will get big warning page with request to perform free upgrade. At Google page and on all major news corporations sites you will see big warning to perform update if you did not do it still. On each reboot you will be also demanded to make upgrade.

Extreme internal tracking and spy abilities, components will be cross checking themselves to not allow disabling some of this features. OS will record all typing and mouse, all programs run, all sites visited and more. Information will be sold during closed online auctions to other big corporations ala Amazon. It won't contain your name or personal details, but each user will have unique identifier and OS will have special AI cloud based features to detect if you use any other computer and all tracking will change identifier to yours instantly. Microsoft source told that both Microsoft and Google now need around 5-25 minutes to identify new user if you have normal activity.

If they attempt the majority of this, they will lose the entire enthusiast community and we'll finally start seeing an enormous shift to Linux. For someone like me with something like 10 computers, having to pay a monthly fee for the 5-6 that run Windows would be a non-starter (especially if virtual machines need to be individually licensed since then I'd be at closer to 12). At that point, I'd probably end up with one or two Windows virtual machines to run software that requires it and I'd shift everything else to Linux.

If they attempt the majority of this, they will lose the entire enthusiast community

Windows 10 constantly increasing spying and full change of updates approach did not do a dime in this.

For simple consumer editions monthly payment will be really small and they will use same approach like Adobe did. First it'll be free for like 6 months or even year as you buy new computer and after initial release. Next it'll be like $0.99 a month and it'll ramp up very slowly, very.

we'll finally start seeing an enormous shift to Linux.

No, we won't.

For someone like me with something like 10 computers, having to pay a monthly fee for the 5-6 that run Windows would be a non-starter (especially if virtual machines need to be individually licensed since then I'd be at closer to 12).

You are part of 1-3% small niche.

Linux current existence resides on corporations willing to make and release drivers. It can change and it will.

You extremely underestimate position where we are all at. All this will coincide with extreme witch hunt assisted by big media and Goggle. So anyone spreading bad info will be blamed extremist and his site certificate will be confiscated (by Google, Microsoft and Apple who already have working model for this).

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